To use the links in this newsletter, you must be connected to the Internet.  PC Eudora users: to see this and other html mail properly you must check the box "Use Microsoft's Viewer" in the "Viewing Mail" options.

WebSkulker has been noticed by USA Today and was named one of their hot sites for yesterday, 11/15/99.  You can see the mention at http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/chc1115.htm
They sent us an email message saying that this may also appear shortly in the New and Notable column in the Wednesday Life section of the newspaper, possibly this week.

In yesterday's issue we gave out a phone number and PIN code that was supposed to let all you jr. skulkers make free phone calls for the rest of November.  This was said to be a beta test of a new network that would start charging in December.  That PIN quit working sometime in the morning, and again we hope that we weren't duped into giving out the code of a paying subscriber.  Oh well.  Please remember that in past issues WebSkulker really has told you how to make free long distance calls and those web sites still work.  http://www.centrecom.com will give you the equivalent of a $50 prepaid calling card totally free and with no obligation.  For details and instructions, see these archived issues:
http://www.webskulker.com/archive/1999-10-05.html
http://www.webskulker.com/archive/1999-10-07.html

http://www.dialpad.com will put through unlimited calls for free to any phone in the U.S., but you use the Internet connection at your end so the quality might not be very good if you are on a slow modem.  See:
http://www.webskulker.com/archive/1999-10-27.html
This used to work very well, but it is getting busy in the daytime and evening because they have a limited number of ports available for dialing out the phone calls.

There are many Internet sites such as the USA Today one mentioned above that award a web site of the day or site of the week.  It's time for a Windows Security Bug of the Week site because Microsoft has been issuing a whole lot of bulletins lately about flaws in Internet Explorer that allow a "malicious web site" to cause damage to your computer merely by browsing.  To be fair, WebSkulker subscribes to several newsletters about computer security and other operating systems have such problems as well.  The Windows problems are reported far more widely because it is the most used operating system.

WebSkulker doesn't mention every security bug because it is unlikely for most of them to bother the average jr. skulker.  Also if you visit the Microsoft Windows Update site periodically, you can download all the latest fixes without needing to know the details.  But some of the newly-discovered bugs are serious enough to mention immediately, like this bulletin issued last Friday:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/bulletins/MS99-049.asp
This is the FAQ about this bulletin:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/bulletins/MS99-049faq.asp

This one is a bug in the guts of the Windows 95/98 networking code that can be exploited so easily by a web site or HTML-formatted email message that all of you should download and install the fix right now, or wait a week or two and it should be on the Windows Update site.

Windows 95 fix:
http://download.microsoft.com/download/win95/update/245729/w95/en-us/245729us5.exe

Windows 98 fix:
http://download.microsoft.com/download/win98/update/245729/w98/en-us/245729us8.exe

Since Windows NT isn't mentioned, we assume that it doesn't have the problem.

Most web sites mentioned in WebSkulker are free so that any jr. skulker can click on the link for immediate gratification.  These two require a credit card and charge a small amount per search, but the information is so valuable in so many situations that we want you to know about them.  We have been using this site for years:
http://www.knowx.com

When you want to know X, go to KnowX.com, get it?  They specialize in public records from all over the country, with a few other data sources mixed in.  Here is a list of all the searches you can do.  Click on one to get a form for that search, and on the left will be a box with links to details about the database.
http://www.search3.knowx.com/home/home.exe?form=sitemap.htm&userid=guest&password=welcome&clientid=Not+Chosen&FirstName=

Jr. Skulker Mike Durkin suggested:
http://kadima.com   (Note that putting a "www" in front will not work, which is weird).
Their list of services and prices is at: http://kadima.com/prices.html  Their Nationwide Index is the sort of people finder that private detectives use, and is far more comprehensive than the Internet phone book sites.

 
And finally for you cheapskate jr. skulkers that don't want to spend any money, here is a free site for you that will give you the straight dope on any questions you have about life.  Jr. Skulker Goat Boy submitted it and says he likes it for information on oddball subjects and Eternal Questions.  It started years ago as a newspaper column, which were periodically compiled into books. It has gone online in recent years, but the format is essentially the same as it has always been: subscribers send in a question, the author researches and publishes an answer:
http://www.straightdope.com

This is a clickable list of all questions that have ever been answered:
http://www.straightdope.com/columns

http://www.jokewallpaper.com

This site belongs to Jr. Skulker Steve Kremer who suggested we take a look:  "Free desktop wallpaper that has something rare on the Internet...original humor.  Check it out, I promise you will laugh at least once."  These are WebSkulker's favorite pictures from the site:

http://www.jokewallpaper.com/html/231.htm
http://www.jokewallpaper.com/jobs.htm
http://www.jokewallpaper.com/html/149.htm
http://www.jokewallpaper.com/html/167.htm

Submitted by Jr. Skulker Ms. 1133

The Land of Oz 

The last four US Presidents are caught in a tornado, and off they spin to OZ.
After threatening trials and tribulations, they finally make it to the Emerald City and come before the Great Wizard. "WHAT BRINGS YOU BEFORE THE GREAT WIZARD? WHAT DO YOU WANT?"

Jimmy Carter steps forward timidly: "I had a terrible time with Iran, so I've come for some courage."
"NO PROBLEM" says the Wizard, "WHO IS NEXT?"

Ronald Reagan steps forward, "Well.., Well.., Well.., I need a brain."
"DONE" says the Wizard. "WHO COMES NEXT BEFORE THE GREAT WIZARD?"

Up steps George Bush sadly, "I'm told by the American people that I need a heart."
"I'VE HEARD IT'S TRUE" says the Wizard. "CONSIDER IT DONE."

Then there is a great silence. Bill Clinton is just standing there, looking around, not saying a word. Irritated, the Wizard finally asks, "WELL, WHAT BRINGS YOU TO THE EMERALD CITY?"

"Where's Dorothy?"

WebSkulker is a daily newsletter in html format. To subscribe or unsubscribe, go to our web site at http://www.webskulker.com  or send email to listserv@webskulker.com with precisely the following: "subscribe-webskulker" or "unsubscribe-webskulker" as the only words in the SUBJECT.  Leave off the quotes and be sure to include the hyphen.  Before you even think about unsubscribing, we strongly suggest you go to our web site, click on "unsubscribe", and read the story of the two farmers.  You will be shocked at the consequences!

To change your subscription to a new email address, unsubscribe from the old address and then subscribe to the new address.

This newsletter is copyrighted 1999 by The WebSkulker.  You may use any material in this issue for any reason provided that you attribute it to the WebSkulker Newsletter and include the URL to our web site: http://www.webskulker.com .